Aaron Newland can’t disagree with Bluffton High boys tennis coach Bob Brown’s assessment: This group of Bobcats is as talented as any in school history.

Bluffton’s move into SCHSL Class AAAA has coincided with Brown fielding the deepest team of his nine years as head coach. The Bobcats showed off their depth Tuesday in a 6-0 victory against SCISA power Hilton Head Christian.

“We might not get as far as the year we went to the Lower State finals (in 2011), because we were in AAA then — but I still think we’ll win the region,” said Newland, Bluffton’s No. 1 singles player. “I think this probably is the best team we’ve ever had, as far as quality people 1 through 5 and even doubles.”

Newland, a sophomore who joined the Bluffton junior varsity four years ago, has made the Bobcats more formidable through some hard off-season work. He played No. 4 singles for much of last season, he said, moving up a spot while Davis Rosenblum sat out with an injury.

With the graduations of Chris Davis and Nate Calhoun from last year’s region title team, Newland set out over the summer to challenge for the Bobcats’ top spot. He succeeded, beating out Rosenblum and Richard Snyder, last year’s No. 2.

“That was my big goal and I got there,” Newland said. “It’s fun to play No. 1 because you get to play better people and it makes you a better player.”

Brown said he has never had a team that plays such competitive matches in practice. Snyder and Rosenblum are still battling to move up to No. 1, and the other positions are fluid, as well.

No. 4 Dakota Story, No. 5 Matthew Bornstein, and doubles players Morgan Philoxene, Matthew Ball and Diego Garcia all have similar skill levels, Brown said. And two other players — Sean Greiner and Kristian Chekow — are still working hard to break into the lineup.

“It’s the balance,” Brown said. “In the old days, you had to plan on not winning on a couple courts because the drop-off was so large. We can sting you at every position. If we’re fortunate enough to have a great season, it’s because of that.”

Newland said he regularly plays close matches with Bornstein in practice. His No. 1 singles career got off to a rough start as he went 1-4 at a preseason tournament in Florence, but he said he has gotten more comfortable in the last few matches.

“From last year to this year, I’ve improved every single aspect of my game,” Newland said. “I’ve really worked on my serve and my ground strokes, hitting hundreds of balls in a row and just trying to be as consistent as I can.”